FHSD District Digest | June 28, 2022

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We hope all students, staff and families have been enjoying their summer and creating memories!

Thank you to the more than 1,000 people who completed the FHSD Stakeholder Survey. We look forward to sharing what we learned later this summer.

Keep an eye out for information about the first Citizens Roundtable event. This is a forum for interested patrons to come together, engage and problem-solve around a relevant and timely topic. The first topic, based on feedback collected through the FHSD Stakeholder Survey, will be Prop S. We are looking at possible dates in late July or early August and will send out a sign-up form as soon as the date is set. Stay tuned!

SROs at FHSD elementary schools

The majority of elementary schools within the Francis Howell School District will have a School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus for the upcoming school year at no cost to the District. The St. Charles County Council this week approved using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to place SROs from the St. Charles County Police Department at elementary schools in unincorporated areas of the county for the 2022-2023 school year. Seven of the District’s 10 elementary schools reside in unincorporated St. Charles County and will be covered through this initiative. District officials are actively working with other municipalities to arrange for SROs in the three elementary schools that are located outside of unincorporated St. Charles County (Henderson Elementary, Harvest Ridge Elementary and Warren Elementary). We do not currently have finalized solutions or agreements for these schools, but we are committed to providing support for all schools and will keep the community informed as details are finalized. Read more.

New 2022-23 Academic Calendar Now Available

The Board of Education approved a revised 2022-23 Academic Calendar without Collaboration Wednesdays in our Elementary Schools.

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Spirit of St. Louis Air Show features former FHSD student, hometown hero

Captain CJ Photinos is a Francis Howell grad and a full-time pilot with Delta Airlines. She flies a C-17 as a captain in the Air Force Reserves. She took to the skies at the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show.

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Now Hiring for 2022-23 School Year

We have a number of openings for bus drivers, substitute teachers, custodians, food service and paraprofessionals to support our schools. View the list of open positions here.

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Alumnus Success Story

One of St. Louis’ most exciting chefs and a former Becky-David Elementary, Hollenbeck Middle and Francis Howell North student is coming home to open a new restaurant.

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Recess paras are coming back! The Board approved additional staffing that will allow the District to reinstate 40 recess assistant and recess paraprofessional positions for our elementary schools. This means we will no longer have Collaboration Wednesday Early Release days at the elementary level. A revised bell schedule is now posted!

Dr. Allison Klouse has been named Interim Principal at Hollenbeck Middle School for the 2022-2023 school year. Read more.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the promotion of Jennifer Jolls to Chief Communications and Community Relations Officer. Read more.

The work at 801 Corporate Centre Drive in O’Fallon, the new home for Francis Howell Union High School, is almost complete. FHU students will begin the 2022-23 school year in the renovated space. In addition to Union High School, the 801 Corporate facility will house the District Learning Center (DLC), content leaders, disability access services, ADA compliance officers, special education staff and other academic support teams, in addition to District administrators and support staff. Employees working at the DLC, administration building, and other locations within the District will begin moving to their new workspaces next month. Bringing these services all under the same roof will create a more collaborative and efficient working environment for all. The revised project budget for 801 Corporate - including purchase of the building and renovation costs - was set at $11M. The project has been tightly managed by the project manager and the District Facility and Operations department and is on track to meet the $11M budget. Read more.

A classroom at the new Francis Howell Union High School, located at 801 Corporate Center Dr. in O'Fallon, boasts freshly shined floors. Existing lights, flooring, cubicles and furniture were repurposed throughout the building to minimize renovation costs.

Construction at the new Francis Howell North High School is moving along nicely. The Facilities and Operations Department along with the District project manager from Atlas Building Group has been working with S.M. Wilson regularly. Currently, you can see exterior framing and sheathing installation happening on the construction site.

Two deductive construction change orders were approved at the June 16, 2022 Board of Education Meeting for the Francis Howell North construction project. These change orders mean a total reduction in the cost to build the FHN project by $927,724.

Follow construction progress on Twitter at the hashtag #FrancisHowellFriday. Each week we will highlight the progress made at FHN. Click here to see more photos of the construction progress that was made in June.

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Before you enter full-on summer mode, don't forget to think about the next school year. View District immunization requirements and set up those appointments as needed.

Two FHSD teens graduate from college before high school

Students all across the country celebrated the end of the school year with graduation ceremonies, but two students from the Francis Howell School District walked across the stage twice.

Mya Walker and Briana Graphenreed – both seniors at Francis Howell North - are the first two students in the Early College Program at FHSD to graduate from both college and high school in the same year.

FHSD is proud to partner with St. Charles Community College to offer the Early College Program to students at all FHSD high schools.

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Students can lose up to three months of reading gains during the summer. Please help and encourage your child to read this summer.

Some tips to help your child with their summer reading:

Make sure they have access to books. It is critical that kids have access to a wide variety of books over the summer months.

Ensure books match readers’ ability levels and interests. For young people’s reading skills to improve, they need to read books that align with their own reading levels.

Focus on comprehension, as monitored and guided by an adult, teacher, or parent.

The most important element to making summer reading effective is the help of an adult who can ask questions and guide kids to better understand what they are reading. With these three ingredients, your summer reading program will soar!

Congrats to the Class of 2022. We can't wait to see what your future holds! During their last day of classes, these Francis Howell School District seniors headed back to their first school, Henderson Elementary, one last time!

Barnwell Middle School kicked off summer with some fun in the sun! The students had a blast participating in carnival games, eating candy, and spending time with friends. There were lots of smiles on their last day of school.

The FHHS Golden Girls show off their National Championship rings! They won the UDA (Universal Dance Association) National Hip Hop title at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

Tammie Rooy - a 5th grade teacher at Central Elementary - performed a special rap over the school intercom. She wrote the song for the last day of school. Listen here.

With the end of the school year comes the beginning of an exciting new journey for our District retirees. This year's retirees have acquired a combined 1,652 years of service. We are thankful for their amazing service and dedication to our District! View photos from the Retiree Ringing of the Bells celebration.

Seven students in the Francis Howell School District were awarded a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. The scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the National Merit Scholarship program. Read more.

FIRST EVER FIELD TRIP! Mrs. Kohlman’s class took a field trip to Big Joel's Safari Educational Park. These first graders from Castlio Elementary loved going on a field trip together!

Fairmount Elementary kindergartners dash under a deflating parachute during the school's field day. Photo by David Carson from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. View more photos here.

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Any FHSD student that would like help crafting the perfect essay for college and/or scholarship applications is invited to join a resident FHSD teacher this summer for a two-day workshop. For more information or to register click here.